Mercedes and Hamilton make it official pre-Monaco

Lewis Hamilton told media today that there was “never any doubt” regarding his new three-year contract extension with Mercedes.

“I’ve only ever driven for Mercedes, so it was natural to want to continue with them. Plus, obviously I joined this team and we’ve had amazing success.

“I’m very, very happy with the package and the group of people that I have within this team. So it was a very easy decision to make and it’s also great that the team wanted to continue working with me,” said Hamilton, whilst speaking ahead of Sunday’s jewel-in-the-crown Monaco Grand Prix.

“There was never any doubt, honestly. I was led to believe that the team wanted to continue with me and naturally with the success we’ve had and the relationship we have, it felt certain,” the 2008 and 2014 world champion, who had been linked to both Ferrari and his previous stomping-ground McLaren, continued.

Reflecting on his meteoric rise in F1, Hamilton, who lives in the Principality, revealed: “I think about that every day, really, how far I’ve come.

“Generally, I’ve been here in Monaco the last two weeks, when I wake up and I go out onto my balcony and look over Monaco and I think ‘this is just crazy’, where from growing up in Peartree Way, coming out of the front doorstep and you look at a hostel in front of where I grew up and of course.